Oak Learners is the very definition of a community-based, student-centered academic environment. Classes are small, personal, and lessons begin with the talents, interests, challenges and curiosities that the children bring with them into the room. An emphasis on the arts is used as entrée to the curriculum, underscoring a cross-curricular approach to instruction. Classroom spaces are bright, open, and adaptable to large group, small group, and tutorial-style learning. Founder Kelly Ferrell is rightly a draw, bringing a wealth of experience to the offering, as well as a proven track record as an educator, leader and entrepreneur. The faculty she’s attracted shares her enthusiasm for active, hands-on, inquiry-based learning. Still relatively young, Oak Learners has quickly established itself as a key offering within its catchment area.
We questioned the school adminstration
1. Who are you, as a school?
"Oak Learners inspires meaningful learning every day. Passionate teachers nurture children’s natural curiosity about their world with hands-on experiences. Students in Kindergarten through Grade Eight participate in an enriched interdisciplinary program with a focus on strengthening academic skills through Arts integration. Academic excellence is enhanced with 1/3 of each school day being integrated with immersive Outdoor Learning, where academic subjects are experienced and shared in an authentic way."
Reggio Inspired and Inquiry-Based Curriculum
Enhanced Art, Music, Dance, & Drama Programming
Small Classes for student-centred learning
STEAM Enrichment through cross-curricular learning
Enrichment and extended curriculum for Gifted Students
Outdoor Education integrated curriculum for up to 50% of each day
LD Support with targeted skill development
Community-focused environment
Diverse and Inclusive community
2. What do you do differently and uniquely well?
"Our unique approach at Oak Learners inspires creativity, fosters academic skill-building and builds confidence in our students every day. Students of all ages are constantly...(more)
"Our unique approach at Oak Learners inspires creativity, fosters academic skill-building and builds confidence in our students every day. Students of all ages are constantly encouraged to interact with the natural environment: to seek and explore experiential learning opportunities and to ask questions about the world around them. Academic excellence is enhanced with 30-50% of each school day being integrated with immersive outdoor learning."
3. What tradeoffs has your school made to serve families in this way?
Information not yet available.
4. What key junctures in your school's history have most shaped its present?
Information not yet available.
5. What type of student is a good fit for your school?
Information not yet available.
6. Under what conditions would you advise a family against choosing your school?
Information not yet available.
7. To your knowledge, why do families choose your school over others?
"At Oak Learners, education does not follow a one-size-fits-all approach. We work as partners with families to ensure each child receives a personalized learning roapmap that...(more)
"At Oak Learners, education does not follow a one-size-fits-all approach. We work as partners with families to ensure each child receives a personalized learning roapmap that supports and enriches their child(ren)'s individual learning style(s). We passionately believe that our small class sizes facilitate an attentive and adaptable learning environment that will continue to nurture our students with meaningful experiences."
8. How would you characterize your school's image amongst the public?
Information not yet available.
9. What aspect of your school is underappreciated?
"Every school day is integrated with immersive outdoor learning, where academic subjects are explored and shared in an authentic way. Small classes help facilitate opportunities...(more)
"Every school day is integrated with immersive outdoor learning, where academic subjects are explored and shared in an authentic way. Small classes help facilitate opportunities for our students to get outside every single day, rain or shine, to explore and enrich the academic curriculum in a meaningful way. The result is happier and healthier children, teachers, and families."
10. What might families find surprising about your school?
"At Oak Learners, we believe every child can be successful when they belong to a supportive educational community and this is exactly what families who choose Oak Learners will...(more)
"At Oak Learners, we believe every child can be successful when they belong to a supportive educational community and this is exactly what families who choose Oak Learners will discover. There are proven links between children's mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health with time spent outdoors in nature. Students at Oak Learners have gained increased focus, confidence, self-esteem and overall increased happiness and satisfaction with school."
11. What improvements or changes has your school made recently?
Information not yet available.
12. How will your school change in the next 5 years?
As a neurodivergent learner, my child is met with a flexible learning environment with a much lower student to teacher ratio than most schools. I love that the staff at Oak Learners are positive and happy to see my child everyday. He can have harder days and the teachers and principals work with me to try to come up with solutions. There is no judgment and everyday is a new day. The principal of the school, Kelly is an excellent communicator and gets back to me right away if something needs to be discussed.
Academically, most learning is hands on as opposed to sit down with a piece of paper (although there is that component too). And academic work is individualized to where my child is at. There is also tons of outdoors time, which my kid definitely needs!
If you are looking for a school environment that is non- traditional - hands on and supportive- Oak Learners is great. Because it is a smaller school, all the staff know all the kids. I would say that they serve neurodivergent learners well.
Our son Gabriel absolutely loves going to school every day. When we drop him off, he gives a huge hug to his teacher Emma who has managed to form a bond with Gabe similar to what he has with family members. Gabriel is autistic and is not open to close relationships with everyone but the affectionate and comfortable relationship he has not only with Emma but with other teachers and staff members is remarkable.
His teachers go out of their way to make sure they understand Gabe in order to not only meet his needs but to provide a loving, enriching learning experience for him. Gabe can be himself at school, and his teachers are creative and adaptive to make sure Gabe can get the most out of his day. An example of this is with writing. Gabriel struggles to sit still for a long time and does not enjoy writing on paper, so his teachers set up the ability for him to trace shapes and draw on a chalkboard instead. Another example is the amount of sensory play his teachers build into learning, which very much appeals to Gabe.
The bond Gabriel has with the educators at Oak Learners is integral to his positive experience and really is what makes his days at school successful.
My son absolutely loves to come to Oak Learners. As a parent, it's amazing to see your child wake up happy and excited to go to school. He was so lovingly welcomed by the teachers, who took such great care in making lesson plans that were tailored to his current educational needs. What my son says he loves about going here is that he can see that the teachers are genuinely supportive of him and excited when he makes progress. It makes him feel motivated to push himself and take on new challenges because he knows he has a support system at school who will help and guide him when needed. He loves the environment of the school, all the staff, the students, his experiences there all while learning.
A low teacher-to-student ratio is meant to facilitate a personalized experience as teachers have more time to understand individual strengthens and weaknesses. Our experience at Oak Learners has been better than our high expectations. This is also in line with how our children like the school: they love it. Our daughter likes and appreciates the wonderful balance between work and play. She typically will focus on a writing or reading or mathematics activity for half and hour, and then "decompress" in the library for a few minutes before the next task which might be a physical one, such as walking to the nearby park for recess time. Our son loves how teachers are perceptive enough to match his interests with the task at hand. He is now learning to add and subtract with the vehicles he loves (such as toy trucks and backhoes).
Our son loves the varied and fun activities at Oak Learners, which challenge him educationally while making him feel secure and that his efforts are appreciated. The staff is kind, loving and attentive to his needs.
They have a knack for connecting with children and their challenges and adjusting both the curriculum and the approach to fit each child's needs in a unique and flexible manner. Unlike other private schools where our son's experience was much more rigid, Oak Learner's takes pains to understand and empathize with his perspective, and by joining him in his worldview, they are able to build a strong emotional connection that is the foundation of academic learning.
Instead of being anxious about going to school, our son is now excited and knows his voice will be heard and his feelings respected even as his mind is challenged.
For different reasons, our two kids love Oak Learners. The staff were very good at identifying skills each of them were strong and, and using these to help them better develop in areas they were finding more challenging. Our oldest has several challenges, and the staff were very quick to identify a path forward. She used to hate school and any type of school work, but has gained vital skills in the short time she has been at Oak Learners, and she has realized this. She is now very happy to go to school, and has a much more positive attitude. She especially likes the alternative aspect of the curriculum, which gives all kids a chance for much hands-on learning and outside time. The topics used for projects and learning experiences are relevant to children and of high interest, so we have often found both our kids coming home looking for information about something, or eager to tell us about a learning experience they had. Our kids, between them, have been in four different schools, and this is the first one where both feel engaged with and highly motivated to learn about what is being taught. We also love the small teacher to student ratio, which has allowed both of our kids to thrive and develop academically and personally way beyond our expectations.
My 6 year old thrives at Oak Learners. He loves the staff who are attentive, responsive and makes learning fun. Oak Learners approaches learning from a holistic perspective. They realize that children are unique and different and do not adopt a "one-size fits all" approach to learning. Some of the most important lessons my son has learned from Oak is getting involved in the community and helping others, participating in various activities such as community festivals, and hands-on learning. Throughout the school year, my son got to learn about where chickens came from, an incubator was brought into the classroom, they got to name their egg and got to see firsthand a chick hatch! This was a great learning opportunity that was more beneficial than simply reading about this in a book!
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